Alcohol Abstinence For One Month Dramatically Improves Your Health

Alcohol abstinence for just one month will dramatically improve your health, a recent study shows. Hard to believe a dramatic improvement can occur in just one short month, but the data says, it happened. And it can happen for you as well. All you need is just a little bit of will power.

January 2019 has been proclaimed, “Dry January” by the London, England based charity organization, Alcohol Change United Kingdom.

They encourage people to give up alcohol for one month at the start of the year.

This initiative has gained popularity to the point where thousands of people around the world now pledge to take part in this campaign each year.

It stands to reason that abstaining from alcohol can be of great benefit, as regular drinking is a major risk factor for cancer, liver disease, and heart disease.

alcohol

Alcohol: Study Results From One Month Abstinence

Researchers from the University of Sussex in Falmer, United Kingdom, found that people who took part in Dry January in 2018 reported higher energy levels and healthier body weight. They also felt less need to drink alcohol, even several months later.

Data was collected from 2,821 people . Results showed that abstaining from alcohol for a month, also reduced the number of drinking days later in the year. The rate went down to 3.3 days per week from 4.3 days per week.

Excessive drinking, defined as 8.6 units of alcohol per drinking day at the beginning of the experiment, went down to 7.1 units per drinking day later on. That is a reduction of one full day, just by abstaining for one month.

Other immediate benefits were:

money saved
70% of respondents slept better
60% lost weight

Of particular interest is that participants who just could not push themselves to abstain for a full month, nevertheless, also showed positive, albeit smaller results.

Alcohol: Abstinence Brings A Long List Of Benefits

After a full month of not drinking, participants cited the following mental and physical health benefits:

93 percent of participants reported experiencing a sense of achievement at the end of the alcohol-free month
88 percent had saved the money that they would otherwise have spent on drinks
82 percent of participants reported an enhanced awareness of their relationship with alcohol
80 percent felt more in control of their drinking habits
76 percent understood when they felt more tempted to drink and why
71 percent of participants learned that they did not need alcohol to have fun
71 percent said that they enjoyed a better quality of sleep
70 percent reported better overall health
67 percent had higher energy levels
58 percent of participants lost weight
57 percent reported improved concentration
54 percent said that they noticed better skin health

The mental and physical risks of drinking are well known. Mental health problems, diabetes, heart problems, cancer, and liver disease, to name a few. But, there are also many excellent physical and mental benefits benefits as well. See the list above.

You don’t need to go total cold turkey; drinking in moderation will also help your mental and physical condition.

So go ahead and give it a try. You will sleep better, feel more energetic, lose weight, and of course, save money.

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